Denmark: Thousands of people against removing a holiday to increase defense spending

Thousands of Danes filled the area around Parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Sunday to protest their government’s plans to scrap a public holiday to increase defense spending in the wake of the war in Ukrainea measure that has raised the entire opposition, the unions, the Lutheran Church and a large part of the population of Denmark.

The plan is part of the government pact presented two months ago by the Executive of the Social Democrat Mette Frederiksen, which also includes the Liberals and a new center party.

It intends that the Danish State thus collect 3,200 million crowns (430 million euros) that will help bring forward to 2030 the commitment with NATO to allocate 2% of GDP to defense, reported the EFE Agency.

“I hope that the government listens, sees this and sees that it is a popular question and an action that it should not carry out,” Lizette Risgaard said today, referring to the protest. General Secretary of the Confederation of Danish Trade Unionswhich brings together 79 trade union organizations and 1.4 million workers, in a country with a population of about 5.7 million.

The unions, which have collected more than 460,000 signatures against the elimination in an initiative on the Internet, have described the measure as a “direct attack” on the Danish model, which is based on the fact that labor market actors are the ones who negotiate agreements without government intervention.

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Unanimous opposition protest

The Danish Executive has also pressured the other nine parties with parliamentary representation to support the reform if they want to be part of the negotiations for the next defense agreement, which has provoked the unanimous protest of a heterogeneous opposition, which includes from three forces xenophobic to ecologists, social liberals and socialists.

In response to the government plan, they have presented a proposal for alternative financing and eight of the opposition forces have asked that the measure be postponed until the next legislative elections, although the idea of ​​the unions to call a referendum on the issue has generated more doubts.

The Danish Constitution allows a popular consultation on a law to be called if a third of the House supports it, but so far, only the red-green Unitary List and two xenophobic forces are in favor, totaling less than 11% of the seats.

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They question economists and the Church

A group of economists, including two former members of the government advisory group, have questioned the real effect of the plan and considered the opposition proposal, which is partially based on a prioritization of public spending, more viable.

The choice of the holiday, the so-called Great Day of Prayer, a Protestant holiday that is celebrated on the fourth Friday after Easter, has also clashed head-on with the Lutheran National Church.

Both the Danish bishops and various religious organizations accuse the Executive of “marking break” with tradition, while the social democratic and liberal youth have also demonstrated against the plan.

Nor does it seem that the population has welcomed the idea: 62% against vs. 27% in favor, according to a recent pollwhile another survey indicates that the Executive would fall by 11.9% and would lose the tight absolute majority that it has if elections are held now.

The Politiken newspaper, the most prestigious in the country and considered center-left, has described the plan as an “incomprehensible own goal” and “an unreliable political-moral connection.” The government remains steadfast in its plan to increase defense spending in Denmark.

But the criticism does not seem to have affected the government, which remains firm in its plan to eliminate a holiday in Denmark and increase defense spending, and intends to urgently approve the new law at the end of this month. “I do not think it is problematic that we have to work another day,” said Frederiksen, demanding “honesty” in the political discussion, because there is not enough money to finance the “big spending” on defense and security caused by the war, according to her. of Ukraine nor for the green transition or health reform.

The idea of ​​a referendum has also been rejected by Frederiksen, who did not want to reissue the minority Executive supported by the center-left with which he governed the last legislature to bet instead on an almost unprecedented model in Denmark in which he has allied with its historical rival, the Liberal Party.

Prepared with information from EFE